TY - JOUR
T1 - Does the percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale help the migraine sufferer?
JF - Neurology
JO - Neurology
SP - E20
LP - E21
DO - 10.1212/WNL.62.8.E20
VL - 62
IS - 8
AU - Kondapaneni, Pranathi
Y1 - 2004/04/27
UR - http://n.neurology.org/content/62/8/E20.abstract
N2 - What is a migraine? A migraine is a chronic episodic headache condition associated with other symptoms such as nausea/vomiting and sound/light sensitivity. Migraines can be classified into two types: with aura and without aura. An aura is a neurological warning symptom that precedes the headache. More information about migraine headache can be found on the next page. What is a patent foramen ovale (PFO)? The heart’s right side receives blood that does not contain much oxygen and pumps the blood into the lungs to get oxygen. Then the blood goes through the heart’s left side to get to the brain and other organs of the body. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a persistent hole in the heart’s right/left wall boundary that did not close after birth. This opening can cause blood in the right side of the heart to move into the left side of the heart before it has had a chance to get oxygen from the lungs. When this happens, the rest of the body does not get as much oxygen as it should. It is possible that blood clots can pass through this hole and lead to stroke. The figure shows what this looks like. Figure. Diagram of patent foramen ovale (the hole in the “atrial septum”). How is a PFO related to migraine? Research has shown that patients who have a PFO also have migraine …
ER -